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A possible definition of irony: The Phoenix Suns electing to slow the game down so they may be better suited to compete for a World Championship.

As if that didn't weren't enough to warrant a double-take, consider who the Suns would be employing such a strategy against. Taking the air out of the ball against the San Antonio Spurs might end up being their lone salvation in getting out of the West.

To answer your question, no I have not been isolated on some remote Pacific isle with the cast of Survivor. Believe it or not, I took a peek or two at the goings on in the NBA this season.

I realize that Steve Nash is with Phoenix and was recently named the league MVP. I am also aware that much of that is due to the fact that the prodigal Sun has returned to his professional roots in Arizona to lead the highest scoring, most potent offensive attack in the world.

This team runs. They score the ball while forsaking just about everything else, daring the enemy to play along.

And what team thrives more in the halfcourt than the Spurs? Gregg Popovich has been known to thrust into conniption upon seeing his club yield a hundred. San Antonio puts the qualitative bunch on the floor. They're the anti-Suns.

So what gives? Spurs running? Suns slowing?

Conventional wisdom has no place here. This is the postseason.

It seems the Spurs have found something Dallas never did. The best way to get to Steve Nash is to push him harder than he's willing to go himself. In Game 1, Tony Parker went right at Nash and on many occasions, right by him en route to 29 points (13 of 22 from the floor).

While the Mavericks were slow to exploit their former point guard on the defensive end, the two-time World Champs did so right out of the gate. All game long.

Know what? You could see more of the same tonight.

Of course, it helps to have Tim Duncan working the blocks. Guys like the aforementioned Tony Parker, Brent Barry, and Manu Ginobili have so much space with which to work - all thanks to Duncan. It's pretty easy for these Spurs to knock down perimeter looks when the paint is flush with Suns.

With the way Tim was working it Sunday, it's tough to say which exactly is the lesser of two evils.

The Spurs are not at all afraid to go up and down the floor with Phoenix. And San Antonio feels they can convert enough looks, whatever the pace against this team. Running only means more opportunities.

Basically, when the Suns have absolutely no answer for Duncan down low -- something the Spurs can call on whenever they feel they must -- why not attack full throttle? Punch the gas and floor it.

San Antonio put up 22 shots in the final quarter on Sunday, hitting 16 of them. They scored 43 points in the period and 121 on the afternoon.

Phoenix did some scoring too. Stoudemire went bonkers, again. Nash was his brilliant self as well. Quentin Richardson and Shawn Marion contributed almost no points, but the Suns shot 49 percent. The problem was not the Spur defense, as it usually is.

In the fourth quarter, the tortoise absolutely outsprinted the hare and looked totally at ease in doing so.

Steve Nash and the Suns will likely dance with what brought them this far. And that is absolutely fine. Just be careful in going about it. The Spurs know they can't limit Phoenix to 90 points per outing. But they also know the Suns haven't got a prayer of slowing them down at the other end of the floor.

So should the Phoenix Suns look to run more selectively? Perhaps. Protecting Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire could be key in this series. Without these two at peak efficiency, the West's number one seed could be sunk by Memorial Day.

Email questions and comments to Spangler at scott@insidehoops.com